It's Never As Simple as it Seems
by Rhianona
Summary: Cam's thoughts on his new team. Early Season 9.


_Disclaimer: SG-1 does not belong to me._

Sometimes, when Cam watches Sam, Daniel and Teal'c, smiling and working together as a solid unit as he stands on the outside, he wonders why he ever thought it was a good idea to try and recruit all three back for SG-1. He thinks it was the euphoria of being able to walk again when the doctors had all told him he would be lucky to regain partial mobility at best, combined with the very real panic of finding himself in charge of a team that was suddenly non-existent. Even as he had gone to persuade Teal'c and Daniel to rejoin the flagship team, a part of him had known it was a mistake. And yet, he couldn't quite help himself. When he told General O'Neill he wanted to be part of SG-1, he had a very specific idea of who would make up SG-1. Too bad O'Neill had neglected to tell him the truth of the matter, when he agreed to Cam's request.

Of course, it's not really O'Neill's fault. If Cam had been thinking straight, he would have just requested to be assigned to any old SGC team, and not the premiere one. As it is, he's hoisted on his own petard and can't back gracefully away from SG-1. His request, thought of in the moments when he thought he was never going to walk again, and needed something to push on for, has well and truly tied him to the SGC - at least until he makes his 20, or as, is more likely, he's killed in the line of duty. The Ori and Lucian Alliance aren't playing around in their bids for galactic domination.

SG-1 is the best - that's why he requested his placement. Only thing was, he _thought_ they would be the ones teaching him, showing him the ropes. He figured it would be difficult - they had fought, lived, died, and been tortured for one another these last eight years - and they have a bond he knows is impossible to break, but no way in hell did he think he would be placed as teamleader. They are a family, and well. It's like he's the new stepfather for a bunch of kids, except their mom isn't there, and the "kids" are his age or older.

He's not the only one that thinks it's the height of stupidity to have some newbie lead SG-1 when it's manned by veterans of the program. It's even worse when said veterans aren't non-coms like SG-3 or SG-10. Instead, they are the real fucking deal - the heroes of the SGC — the ones who've saved the Earth, and heck, the universe, more times than most can remember. He's read the reports and heard the stories, but it doesn't tell him how the fuck he's supposed to lead them.

And they sure as hell aren't telling him.

And maybe that's the most frustrating thing of all. He's known Sam off and on for _years_ - and they have a different sort of bond than what she has with Jackson and Teal'c (and, he assumes, O'Neill), but they _are_ friends. Teal'c is nice enough and happy to answer most questions Cam poses towards him - but he never volunteers anything. (Of course, he rarely volunteers anything to anyone, so Cam doesn't think he's just special.) Jackson just looks at him with wounded eyes, because this? This is not something he wants to be doing, not now. It might have been Vala that forced him to miss transport on the _Daedalus_ to Atlantis, but it's Cam's fault for having empty slots for SG-1 when he and Vala brought the Ori attention to them. Easier to just step back into the role he's had for more years than he wanted, than to fight to go to Atlantis.

Jackson also has a damned streak of nobility, enough that he's not going to abandon the Milky Way and the SGC to the Ori, not when he helped to bring their attention to Earth. They all three are willing to go and do what they do best: save the world from the encroaching hordes. They are all willing to play lip service to Cam's leadership position on the team; what they aren't willing to do, is help Cam with it. They do what they do, and let Cam flounder along, following and playing catch up as much as he can. And the damned thing is, Cam knows it's not a conscious decision on their part. But he's not Jack O'Neill. And he hasn't traveled with them for eight years, saving the world and the universe from false gods and psychotic metal robot things. He's not the favored of any off-world allies. He's just the guy who helped cover their asses when Anubis' fleet attacked Earth, the guy who almost lost his life, lost the use of his limbs. He saved them, and they are grateful.

And maybe that's why Cam just grits his teeth, and keeps doing his job. He doesn't think their shunning is deliberate; he just doesn't have the past history they do. Maybe one day, they'll stop comparing him to Jack O'Neill, and learn to like him as his own person. But until then, he'll watch over them, learn what he can, and hope the Earth doesn't fall on his watch.


End file.
